PUBLIC SAFETY Fire department invests in trucks
COSTS FORMCKINNEY’S FLEET OF FIRE TRUCKS
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$1.4M-$1.9M ladder trucks These trucks have
each
BY BROOKLYNN COOPER
ladders on them in the event that firefighters need to make a rescue at a high altitude. Ladders are either 75 feet or 100 feet.
When the McKinney Fire Department needs a new fire truck, there is no dealer- ship with truck salespeople. The city puts out bids for companies to build trucks from the ground up, said Robert Alley, assistant chief of operations and training. There are several types of trucks that the department uses. A ladder truck and fire engine are being built. In March, construction will start on a tiller truck, a tractor-drawn ladder truck with a driver for the front and back of the vehicle. When selecting a bidder, Alley said price is not the only factor to consider. “We also look at what [the company] can provide as far as maintenance and all that in the future because if we have problems, we want to be able to get it fixed,” Alley said. In addition to ladder trucks, fire engines and medical units, the department has one Aircraft Rescue Firefighting truck, also called an ARFF truck. This is a specialized vehicle made to respond to emergencies at McKinney National Airport. ARFF trucks have large nozzles that eject both water and foam. The foam protects people while they evacuate a plane that is on fire. Alley said the department will likely purchase another ARFF truck in the next four or five years. “We’ve tried to purchase not only what’s best for the community,” Alley said. “We go out and we look at what kind of buildings we have. Do you have high rises? Do you have regular homes? In McKinney, we have a lot of residential neighbor- hoods, but we do have a lot of commercial buildings as well, and we have an airport we have to protect.”
PHOTOS COURTESY MCKINNEY FIRE DEPARTMENT
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$900,000 fire engines Also known as fire pumpers, these trucks pump water through hoses and apply it to the fire. Three to four people staff this truck. each
$400,000 medical units 10
each
These are ambulances that firefighters drive. Unlike the other trucks, which can last upwards of 15 years, medical units are replaced every five to six years.
LIFESPANOF A FIRE TRUCK
• 0-10 YEARS Construction and frontline service: These are the primary years the fire department uses the trucks.
• 10-15 YEARS Reserve status: Firefighters use reserve trucks as substitutes when frontline engines are being serviced or receiving repairs.
• 15-PLUS YEARS Auction: Typically, citizens will buy trucks to use for parades or other uses, or a smaller fire department will buy trucks to use for its city.
SOURCE: MCKINNEY FIRE DEPARTMENT/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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